Megan R. Dillow

Face and resilience in divorce The impact on emotions, stress, and post-divorce relationships

Facework and resilience frameworks were employed to examine threats to, and the protection of, marital partners’ identity during divorce and as they relate to outcomes associated with divorce. Divorced participants (N = 103) reported on the communicative face threats and support during divorce, reporting greater positive face threat and negative facework during divorce. The non-initiator experienced negative outcomes, including negative face threat and negative emotion, but reported no differences in stress when compared to the initiator or mutual decision makers. In addition, positive face threats and facework during divorce predicted post-divorce relationships. Specifically, low positive face threat and high positive face support were related to divorcees’ inclination to engage in positive interpersonal relationships after the divorce.

One more try: Compliance‐gaining strategies associated with romantic reconciliation attempts

Scant social scientific inquiry has acknowledged or explored the possibility of reconciliation between former romantic partners. This investigation examined this issue by focusing on strategies viewed to be successful if used by one individual desiring reconciliation with his or her former partner. These strategies, couched in a compliance‐gaining framework, were identified and examined in association with perceptions of who was responsible for the breakup, the persistence and confidence of the individual seeking reconciliation, and levels of satisfaction and closeness associated with the post‐dissolutional relationship. Results indicated that positive compliance‐gaining strategies such as explanation and referent appeal were dominant for individuals who seek reconciliation and that those perceived as responsible for the breakup indicated they would be confident in successfully reconciling. Further, those who felt close to their former partner in the post‐dissolutional relationship indicated that they would not seek compliance in a reconciliation situation. Implications for influence encounters in personal relationships are discussed.

Deceivers and Emotion: The Relationships Among Deceptive Message Type, Relational Qualities, and Guilt and Shame

Research has identified emotions as key components of the deception process (Buller & Burgoon, 1996). Yet, examining emotions in conjunction with deception has been branded an under-researched area (Seiter & Bruschke, 2007). The goal of this study was to discover if relational qualities (commitment and satisfaction) and the type of deceptive message communicated (lie, evasion, overstatement, concealment, or collusion) related to feelings of guilt and shame following deception. Participants were asked to recall the most recent time they deceived their romantic partner, describe the lie, and complete relational quality and emotional response measures. Results indicate that the type of deceptive message communicated was not related to relational qualities. Further, feelings of guilt and shame did not differ based on type of deception. However, results indicate positive relationships between the emotional experiences of guilt and shame and relational qualities of commitment and satisfaction. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

The Consequences of Verbal Aggression in the Workplace: An Application of the Investment Model

The purpose of the current study was to improve our theoretical and practical understanding by examining the influence of a supervisors verbal aggression on his or her employees’ job satisfaction and commitment, accounting for investment size and the quality of alternatives. And to account for reasons why organizations fail to fully realize the benefits associated with employee retention. A structural equation model was developed to emulate the investment model to determine the veracity of the model in the work setting and to answer the question as to why employees remained in communicatively hostile work environments. The findings shed light on the dynamics that take place within a work environment in which employees are targets of verbal aggression by their supervisors. The findings also indicated that the data fit the structural equation model and confirmed the applicability of the investment model in the workplace.

Attachment Dimensions and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Gottman (1993, 1994a, 1994b) identified 4 types of conflict behaviors (criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling) that are so relationally destructive that he labeled them “the four horsemen of the apocalypse.” This study argues that it is important to identify antecedents of these kinds of communication behaviors, and assesses the degree to which attachment orientations are useful predictors of them. Data from 170 individuals in established romantic relationships were used to test proposed associations between attachment orientations (anxiety and avoidance) and questionnaire measures of criticalness, defensiveness, contemptuousness, and stonewalling. Attachment orientations predicted an average of 22% of the variance in the criterion variables above and beyond the variance explained by relational satisfaction, with attachment anxiety being an especially potent predictor. The findings suggest that individuals whose attachment orientations reflect fears of abandonment and rejection may tend to enact conflict behaviors that increase the chances of their concerns becoming reality.

Developing and Testing the Anti-Drinking and Driving PSA

Drinking and driving is a serious and prevalent problem in the college-aged population, necessitating attempts to better understand and potentially lessen this health threat. This article reports on 2 studies that designed and tested a public service announcement (PSA) aimed at curbing drinking and driving in a college-student population. Study 1 consisted of focus group research conducted in an attempt to highlight pertinent features of effective and ineffective anti-drinking and driving PSAs. Study 2 incorporated these findings with current persuasion theory to design a persuasive anti-drinking and driving message, which was then tested against a preexisting PSA.

Perceived partner uniqueness and communicative and behavioral transgression outcomes in romantic relationships

This four-study investigation examines the role of perceived partner uniqueness (PPU) in determining the immediate communicative and relational consequences of transgressions in romantic relationships. Study 1 reports a psychometrically sound PPU measure distinct from similar constructs. Study 2 reveals that PPU is associated with conflict responses following the discovery of infidelity, which then predict termination intentions. Study 3 involves an experimentally manipulated flirting transgression between one partner and a confederate, witnessed by the other partner, which provides a controlled examination of PPU on partners’ non-verbal immediacy. Study 4 expands and refines PPU measurement, and tests PPU’s ability to predict relational decisions beyond other partner-focused constructs. Results support the utility of PPU as a unique construct with communicative and relational impacts.

An Examination of Relational Uncertainty, Romantic Intent, and Attraction on Communicative and Relational Outcomes in Cross-Sex Friendships

This investigation explored the impact of relational uncertainty and its correlates (i.e., attraction and romantic intent) on cognitive, communicative, and behavioral outcomes in cross-sex friendships. Participants included 352 people who reported on a current cross-sex friendship. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that social attraction increased relational satisfaction while relational uncertainty decreased relational satisfaction. Further, social attraction decreased topic avoidance while romantic intent and relational uncertainty increased topic avoidance. Finally, social attraction increased the use of relationship talk, routine contact and activity, and emotional support maintenance behaviors, while relational uncertainty decreased the use of these maintenance behaviors. This study provides researchers with a starting point for understanding the consequences associated with interpersonal attraction, romantic intent, and relational uncertainty in cross-sex friendships.

Managing Information about a Romantic Partner’s Relationship History: An Application of the Theory of Motivated Information Management

ABSTRACT Using the theory of motivated information management (TMIM), this study explored how individuals manage information about romantic partners’ past relationships, a typically taboo topic (Baxter & Wilmot, 1985). A sample (N = 146) of undergraduate students currently involved in romantic relationships was used to test TMIM’s predictions regarding cognitive, emotional, and communicative processes involved in information-management decisions regarding a partner’s previous relationships. The hypothesized models were supported for negative emotions (i.e., anger and fear) but not for happiness as a representative positive emotion. Further, efficacy emerged as a significant mediator of the relationships between the negative emotions and information-management strategies and of the associations between outcome assessments and information-management strategies. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Attachment and the Expression of Affection in Romantic Relationships: The Mediating Role of Romantic Love

Extant research demonstrates interrelationships among attachment style, love, and affectionate expression, but is less edifying regarding how these constructs work together. Informed by attachment theory (Bowlby, 1980) and the conceptualization of love as a motivational force (Rempel & Burris, 2005), the current study posits love as a mediator of the associations among attachment styles and affectionate communication. To examine this claim, 173 individuals in romantic relationships completed a questionnaire assessing the variables of interest. A path model revealed significant indirect effects (with the exception of the secure attachment style), and love mediated the relationships among preoccupied and dismissive attachment styles and affectionate expression. These findings suggest the important motivating capacity of love, an often overlooked predictor of relational processes.